
Pedestrian Safety Month runs from now until October 31st, and aims to increase awareness of pedestrian safety and remind everyone that road safety is a shared responsibility.
For drivers: Be alert for people walking, especially when turning, and always yield at crosswalks. It is also crucial to slow down in residential areas, avoid distractions, and never drive under the influence.
For pedestrians: Increase visibility at night by wearing bright or reflective clothing and carrying a flashlight. Use sidewalks when available, and if not, walk facing traffic. Always cross at designated crosswalks or intersections, put electronic devices down, and look for traffic before stepping into the street.
Here are some driver & pedestrian facts:
• Between 2014 and 2023 New Jersey had the second highest pedestrian fatality rate in the nation (29.3% of the total fatalities involved a pedestrian)
• 18% of all traffic deaths in 2023 were pedestrians, and 3% of all people injured in traffic crashes were pedestrians.
• 17% of the children 14 and younger killed in traffic crashes in 2023 were pedestrians.
• 70% of the pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2023 were males.
• Alcohol use was reported in 46% of all fatal pedestrian crashes in 2023, with a blood alcohol concentration of .01 for the driver and/or the pedestrian.
• In 2023, urban areas had a pedestrian fatality rate much higher (84%) than rural areas (16%).
• 74% of the pedestrian fatalities occurred at locations that were not intersections, 17% occurred at intersections, and the remaining 9% occurred at other locations in 2023.
• More pedestrian fatalities occurred in the dark (77%) than in daylight (19%), dusk (2%), and dawn (2%) in 2023.
• 89% of pedestrian fatalities occurred in single-vehicle crashes in 2023.
• 1 out of every 4 pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2023 (24%) was struck by a hit-and-run driver